Question

sugar plantations were hell because of the endless labor they demanded from slaves. they were hell because of the many dangers and the injuries that they caused. they were hell because the slaves who labored without end got nothing for their work - except to live another day, to work more. but none of these miseries was the true reason the plantations were so evil. the plantations were hell because the masters and overseers were treated as gods - which turned them into devils. the english historian lord acton famously said, power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. that is a perfect description of sugar hell. men with absolute power over their slaves acted like creatures we would otherwise meet only in nightmares. their cruelty had no limit - they preferred to kill their slaves rather than lose them. as equiano explained, the blood of murdered slaves anoints the very stones of the land. how does the authors word choice contribute to the claim in this passage? the denotations of words help explain how plantations ran smoothly. the repetition of several key words creates a positive view of slaveholders. the connotations of several words create a neutral view of working conditions. the repetition and connotations of words emphasizes that slaveholders were merciless

Explanation:

The passage repeatedly calls sugar - plantations "Hell" and describes the actions of masters and overseers negatively. The connotations of these words and the repetition emphasize the merciless nature of slaveholders. The denotations don't explain smooth - running plantations. The repetition and connotations don't create a positive view of slaveholders or a neutral view of working conditions.

Answer:

The repetition and connotations of words emphasize that slaveholders were merciless.